Bible Word Study
מִכְרִי
Mikrîy · Mikri, an Israelite
מִכְרִי
Mikri, an Israelite
Definition
Mikri is the name of a single individual mentioned in the Old Testament, specifically in 1 Chronicles 9:8. As a proper noun, it functions solely as a personal name. The name is derived from the Hebrew root for 'to sell' or 'merchant,' suggesting a possible occupational or characteristic origin for the individual or his family line. In the biblical record, Mikri is listed among the descendants of Benjamin who returned from exile and resettled in Jerusalem, indicating he was part of the post-exilic community.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 9:8. It appears within a genealogical list detailing the families of the tribe of Benjamin who lived in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. The context is purely historical and genealogical, with no narrative or dialogical usage elsewhere in Scripture.
Etymology
The name Mikri (מִכְרִי) is a patronymic or gentilic noun derived from the root מָכַר (māḵar, H4376), which means 'to sell' or 'to give over.' It is formed using the common Hebrew suffix '-i,' which can indicate 'belonging to' or 'descended from.' Thus, the name likely means 'my salesman,' 'descendant of a merchant,' or 'belonging to Makar.' It shares this root with common words for merchandise and trade.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried meaning related to circumstances, hopes, or parental traits. A name derived from 'to sell' might indicate a family trade in commerce or market dealings. Being listed in a post-exilic genealogy (1 Chronicles 9) signifies Mikri's family was part of the restored community in Judah, which held theological importance as the continuation of God's covenant people after judgment. Mikri has no direct synonyms as a unique proper name. It is related etymologically to: מָכַר (māḵar, H4376) — the root verb meaning 'to sell' or 'trade.'
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]